Brahmana (brāhmaṇa)

A brahmana is a member of the priestly and scholarly class, whose work is study, teaching and sacrifice and whose person is meant to be inviolable. The Mahabharata takes brahmanicide as the gravest of sins, which is why Indra is hunted by guilt after killing Vritra and why Drona's death disturbs even the victors. It also produces the epic's most dangerous individuals, since Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthama and Parashurama are all brahmins who took up arms, and each brings catastrophe with him.